Tough blow
The Pittsburgh Steelers missed out on yet another wide receiver in the trade market, as the New York Jets have officially acquired All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders. The Jets sent a conditional third-round pick that can become a second-rounder based on performance in exchange for the star wideout, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
The news is doubly frustrating for Steelers fans, as they’ve not only missed out on another wide receiver who could have transformed the receiving room — that star wide receiver could also face Pittsburgh in his first week with his new team, as the Steelers host the Jets on Sunday Night Football this week.
Rapoport shared that Adams is already in the building for his physical — a sign that the Jets are eager to get him in the mix as quickly as possible. Adams had previously been dealing with a hamstring injury that forced him to miss the last two weeks, but Rapoport states he’s in a good place with the injury.
If Adams does play, he’ll work alongside Jets star Garrett Wilson, meaning Joey Porter Jr., Donte Jackson, Minkah Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliott will have their hands full in the secondary.
The NFL trade deadline is looming large, set for November 5 at 4 p.m. ET, and the Steelers are quickly running out of trade targets at the wide receiver position.
One such trade target who is available on the market, Amari Cooper, is unlikely to be traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers given his position on the Cleveland Browns. The Steelers have also been linked to Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton this offseason, but there’s been some insistence that there’s a slim chance he leaves Denver.
Perhaps with the news that the Steelers appear to be trending in the direction of Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks WRs Tyler Lockett or D.K. Metcalf could be in consideration with 2023 first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba in waiting. There was talk that Metcalf could be available via trade earlier in the offseason and would be the preferred option, of course, as Lockett just turned 32 years old. Either of these players, if they’re an option, would likely need a restructured deal given their respective cap hits in 2025. It would be nice to give Wilson a familiar weapon if they are set on naming him QB1, though.